The Risks of AI in Healthcare With: Dr. Spencer Dorn
Dr. Spencer Dorn, Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine at UNC, outlines the risks of using AI in healthcare. Beyond well-known issues like privacy breaches, hallucinations, and bias, he warns of less-discussed risks: AI could paradoxically make clinicians’ work harder instead of easier, eroding promised efficiency gains. He highlights the danger of diminishing critical thinking skills as tasks like note-writing and summarization are offloaded to machines. Most importantly, Dorn stresses that AI could harm the human relationships at the heart of medicine if bots replace authentic communication. He also raises unresolved questions about legal responsibility in the absence of clear regulations, noting that clinicians may ultimately be left accountable for AI-driven errors.
Episode Contents:
About the Guest
Dr. Spencer Dorn is a gastroenterologist, educator, and digital health expert, serving as Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine at UNC. He focuses on balancing the promise of AI tools with their risks to clinical practice, patient relationships, and regulation.
Key Takeaways
- AI could paradoxically increase clinician workload
- Over-reliance on AI may erode critical thinking skills
- AI risks damaging patient-provider relationships
- Legal responsibility for AI errors remains unclear
Transcript Summary
What are the risks of AI in healthcare?
Beyond privacy and hallucinations, risks include increased workload, loss of critical thinking, and damaged relationships.
How might AI affect critical thinking?
By offloading tasks like writing notes and summarizing, clinicians may engage less deeply with information.
What about responsibility?
Without clear regulations, clinicians and health systems may be held accountable for AI-driven errors.
More Topics
- AI in the Healthcare Industry
- AI and Medical Innovation
- Healthcare Ethics and Policy
- AI in Patient Care
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About the Series
AI and Healthcare—with Mika Newton and Dr. Sanjay Juneja is an engaging interview series featuring world-renowned leaders shaping the intersection of artificial intelligence and medicine.
Dr. Sanjay Juneja, a hematologist and medical oncologist widely recognized as “TheOncDoc,” is a trailblazer in healthcare innovation and a rising authority on the transformative role of AI in medicine.
Mika Newton is an expert in healthcare data management, with a focus on data completeness and universality. Mika is on the editorial board of AI in Precision Oncology and is no stranger to bringing transformative technologies to market and fostering innovation.